At an event where the three medal-winning goalkeepers at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 were in their mid-30s, (Vincent Vanasch - Belgium 33, Andrew Charter - Australia 34 and PR Sreejesh - India 33), it was also exciting to see some young goalkeepers breaking onto the international stage.
One of the goalkeepers who shone in Tokyo was Germany’s Alexander Stadler. The 21-year-old played with focus and maturity throughout the tournament, where Germany finished fourth. He is now turning his attention to the FIH Hockey Pro League and the immediate challenge of how to contain the Belgium attack force.
We caught up with Stadler in-between training sessions after the German team had endured a traffic-heavy slow trip from Germany to Brussels. Despite the late hour and the long day. the young ‘keeper was in an upbeat mood.
“I am ready and excited for this match, particularly because of the circumstances in which it is being played, with the Belgium team facing their home supporters as Olympic Champions. It will be an amazing atmosphere, really cool."
Contrary to expectation, the prospect of taking to the pitch in front of a packed stadium of jubilant Belgium fans does not faze Stadler at all. Instead, he thinks he and his team mates will draw inspiration from the occasion.
“We can flip the switch and just really enjoy playing in front of a crowd after all the disruption of Covid.”
“Me and Olly Payne (Great Britain) were the only goalkeepers under 30. The Olympics was amazing. Of course it was different because of Covid but as a young player at a first Olympics, I learnt a lot. It really helped me realise where the weaknesses in my game were.”
Following the Olympic Games, the German players had a complete break but then the domestic league began and the players have been involved in the fiercely competitive Bundesliga for the past few weeks. Stadler explains why the FIH Hockey Pro League is good for team cohesion.
“It is good to see each other as a team because we do not get to train together as much as some of the other teams do. Our domestic league is very important and Germany is a big country, so it is difficult to get together. But, we see each other as opponents in the German league. Of course, during the matches it is intense but once those league games are over, we are good friends again.
“The FIH Hockey Pro League allows us to play together more often and also allows us to compete against other teams from around the world on a regular basis, rather than just meeting them in the big tournaments, such as the World Cup.”
It will be Stadler’s 22nd birthday on Saturday as Germany face the world number one side and Olympic champions in the first of two matches over the weekend. He is hoping that his birthday celebrations will be on the back of a good performance by his team.
“We are going to be giving our very best performance against Belgium. We know what will be coming at us but we want to go into the winter break in a good frame of mind, knowing we gave our best. We are a mixed team of young players and experienced players, but everyone has been part of the Olympic campaign so we all know each other well and that will be important in these matches.”
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